Hi friends! Last week, on IG stories, I shared that some of my earliest memories were with my Mom at the hair salon. If you’re new around here, my my Mom passed away in 2013 of an unexpected brain aneurysm rupture. I never mention that for pity. I promise that, while I miss her deeply, I’m okay. I’m thankful for the time I had with her. Twenty seven years is more than some get and I have to do my best to honor her in the way I live out my life. This blog is one of the ways I do so. She only saw the beginning stages of my little space on the internet but, I know she would absolutely love what it’s become and I’m confident it would NOT exist without the influence she had on me over the years.

She was quite the girly girl, that Jules. I have the cutest picture of her in her late teen’s or early twenties doing her makeup on her knees in a retro standup mirror with lights around the sides. She looked so happy and excited about what she was doing. I think it’s pretty easy to see that she rubbed off on me considerably, ha! Thinking about it all now … she was the first influencer I ever followed. Before there was even the word or profession of being an influencer, I hung on her every word and interest, and modeled her in every way I could. Aren’t Mom’s the best?

Growing up, her and I went shopping all the time. I wonder now if she’d embrace and love online shopping the way I do or if she would still prefer going to the mall to do her shopping. Whenever I find myself falling down a rabbit hole on Nordstrom’s website … I blame Jules. She is the inspiration behind this love of shopping and styling outfits. So, on one my most recent shopping adventures, I discovered Rachel Parcell’s line at Nordstrom. It was this floral print smock top that caught my eye initially and then it was these white statement earrings. The line currently includes quite a few pieces that would work for these Summer months but she also has some dresses that will work beautifully in the upcoming Fall season! I love this long sleeve yellow maxi dress as well as this denim jacket that’s under $100! I thought I’d raise some attention to it as I always think her pieces are so charming and well made! If you’ve never checked it out before, I highly recommend.

As always, Nordstrom allows you to return anything that doesn’t work free of charge. They include a free return label in your online shipment. Simply place anything that doesn’t work back in the original packaging, secure it, and ship it back! Their customer service is always top notch!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, y’all! I’m off to pick up my dress for Victoria’s wedding and get a pedicure before coming back to John’s to get my bag all packed! I’m so nervous about my bag. I need to get it under 50 pounds! Oh, I’ll also be working on Ask Alyson Haley questions later! As always, Ask Alyson Haley is going out tomorrow and I’m tackling questions about my Nespresso machine, why I don’t travel with other bloggers, if I feel I’m promoting consumerism / materialism, and how I fund all of my travel. Be sure to subscribe now to ensure you get it in your inbox tomorrow morning bright and early! Make it a great day, y’all! xo.